Jewish Treats

POTUS’ Eruv

“Is there an eruv?” is one of the first questions on the lips of observant Jews when seeking to move to a new community. Read on to learn why, and in honor of President’s Day, discover…

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Jewish Treats

Iraq and the Jews

Much of ancient and modern Jewish history has passed through Iraq. It can be argued that civilization, as we know it today, actually began in Iraq. The mighty metropolis of Babel or…

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Jewish Treats

Resuming Normalcy

With Tisha b’av and its restrictions behind us, we can now resume our every-day lives. Tradition teaches that the enemies of Israel lit the Holy Temple aflame at the very end of the 9th…

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Jewish Treats

Relationship Builder

One of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of Jewish law is also one of its most private. These are the laws euphemistically known as Taharat Hamishpacha, the laws of family purity,…

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Jewish Treats

This Surgery Is Elective

In the late twentieth century there was, according to anecdotal evidence, an epidemic of “deviated septum” among American Jewish girls. The implication, along with many not-so-funny…

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Jewish Treats

It’s About the Relationship

Marriage, in the construct of Jewish law, is a practical agreement by which, at its most basic, a woman is guaranteed support and protection and a man has the prospect of progeny to carry…

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Jewish Treats

The Book of Ruth

Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech's family had settled in Moab, a…

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Jewish Treats

Two Pillars of Five

Jewish law, and thus Jewish life, rests on two pillars, the mitzvot between a person and God and the mitzvot between one person and another. These two pillars of law are laid out in the…

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Jewish Treats

Whose First Fruits

When the Oral Law was first codified, most Jews lived in agrarian settings. Today, being less familiar with agrarian culture, some people find it difficult to relate to some of the…

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Jewish Treats

Is There Jewish DNA?

Do you remember learning about genes and DNA, about inherited  traits and Gregor Mendel’s pea plants? It has long been known and accepted as scientific fact that each person’s DNA…

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